Friends mourn truck driver killed in crash

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Friends and co-workers of Timothy Williams can't believe that the truck driver is gone.

"It's just tragic," said Marcus Gurganus, Williams boss at Coastal Container Express.

The 45-year-old died on Tuesday night in a crash near the Robeson and Bladen County line after a car pulled out in front of him.

Williams swerved off the road and hit a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The tragic circumstances surrounding the accident are not fair," Gurganus said.

The Wilmington trucking community created a memorial in Williams honor off Shipyard Blvd. The sign, covered in notes from friends and pictures of Williams and his daughter, tells a story of a community in heartbreak.

"You need to take a hard look at this little girl and her dad," Gurganus said. "If you are testing and driving, do you want to be the person responsible for hurting someone like that?"

Gurganus said Williams truck weighed close to 100,000 pounds when it crashed. He added that truck drivers were just as vulnerable as anyone on the roads.

"Don't tail us and don't cut us off," he said. "We can't stop as short as a vehicle."

Gurganus said the trucking community is now praying that people pay more attention on the roads.

"We just have got to get off the phones and drive and be polite to one another," he said. "That is all."

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